Are You Up to Date with the Right-to-Work Rule Changes?

When the world stopped due to the pandemic, the government had to adjust the right-to-work checks as we all adapted to the remote working world. This assisted businesses across the UK to carry out right-to-work checks online, without the need to meet people in person. 

During this time period, employers were able to conduct right-to-work checks by accepting scanned copies of a passport or ID via email.

However, as of 1st October 2022, right-to-work checks for British and Irish Nationals changed and we want you to know what these changes are.

In this blog, we’ll explore why the laws have changed, what you need to be aware of when hiring new applicants, and some of the legal loopholes you need to avoid.

Understanding the latest Right-to-Work Checks

The legal definition of ‘right-to-work checks’ refers to ‘prescribed manual document checks, prescribed Home Office online right-to-work checks and prescribed use of an Identity Service Provider (IDSP)’.

The three government-approved checks that have been instated are as follows:

• Meeting the employee face-to-face and conducting a manual check 
• Completing a Home Office online check
• Using Identity Document Validation Technology through a government-approved Identity Service Provider (IDSP)

However, we don’t want you to worry yet, as this legislation has been deferred by six months to give businesses time to develop relationships with IDSPs and to ensure they are following the law.

This means as of 1st April 2023, this legislation will come into effect. 

What is an Identity Service Provider?

An identity service provider provides a service to help verify ID. They perform a range of checks from right-to-work, right-to-rent, and DBS checks.

This ties in nicely with the way we work with our new-found way of working in a post-pandemic world. These checks not only act as peace of mind for employers but also provide clarity and confidence.

But how is this going to help my business?

This new legislation is incredibly useful for companies who use remote employees or those who would otherwise check their new hires’ right-to-work on their first day. Using an IDSP allows your business to know who exactly you are hiring and have proof they have the right to work. 

It also alleviates any doubt of human error as emails won’t be deleted and you’ll save time and money training managers on what is appropriate for the right-to-work documents. 

Where do I go to verify my latest employees?

A lot of IDSP systems for British and Irish citizens could cost employers up to £70 per check. It’s important to remember if your business doesn’t have a high employment rate or turnover; this can be a costly process for your company.

This is where we step in.

Lean on us

At Tercus HR, we work closely with an Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) service to ensure remote hiring in a digital world keeps people’s personal information encrypted and safe.

This cutting-edge technology has many benefits including:

• Analysing document authenticity and fraud check
• Remote accessibility
• Streamlines the vetting process
• Covers compliance
• Returned in under 5 minutes
• Avoids high subscription fees for an online service provider
• Low cost per check

If you’re ready to reduce the stress of compliance and extensive document checking and get in touch with us or email us at hello@tercushr.com.